


Let's Start A New Routine, Yeah?

by EverestV



Series: Playing The Hand Dealt (Punkcop Prompt Fills) [10]
Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 15:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9555839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverestV/pseuds/EverestV
Summary: Prompt: crowded transport





	

Beth felt bad about it, she did, but there were no other seats open on the bus. She had certainly looked but the bus was overcrowded today and there wasn’t much she could do. So with a soft sigh, she settled herself next to a sleeping woman towards the back of the bus.

She wouldn’t have particularly minded if the woman hadn’t been slouching so much. Her knee pressed against the seat in front of her, arms crossed over her chest, earbuds in and blaring, the woman had enough lethargic presence to take up half the seat next to her. Beth sat on the very edge, not wanting to disturb the woman, but she felt like she was going to fall off any second. An older man caught Beth’s gaze and sent her a sympathetic expression. It didn’t help.

It was a long, tense 15 minutes after that. Beth was trying so hard not to be jostled by the moving bus and stay _exactly_ in place, her hand was white as it gripped the seat in front of her. She checked the time over and over again, looked up and down the aisle to get a better view of the windows, checked for open seats she might have missed constantly.

When they did finally come to a stop, she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of several passengers getting up. A modest bell rung overhead and people start filing out down the aisle. Beth stood to follow the flow of the crowd, but the woman next to her hadn’t stirred. Her hands fidgeted at her purse strap as she weighed her options.

After a moment, Beth cleared her throat. “Um, excuse me?” She leaned over to squeeze the woman’s shoulder lightly, but it might not have been light enough.

“Shite!” The woman hissed as she jumped awake, jerking away from Beth’s hand.

“I— Sorry.” Beth apologized, jumping herself at the woman’s frenzied reaction. “I just...the bus stopped. Not sure if this was your stop or not, but I figured I would check since you didn’t, um, you didn’t seem to hear the bell.”

The woman took out her earbuds and looked out the window, glancing up the aisle and peering around Beth. She sat up straighter as she shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.” Beth nodded, swayed awkwardly on her feet, and stared at the ground. “Did you want to sit ‘ere?”

“Oh,” Beth glanced up but couldn’t bring herself to shake her head. Not when she was faced with such a sleepy, child-like expression. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” The woman fiddled with her earbuds like she wasn’t sure if she could put them back in or not. Beth settled more comfortably in the seat and kept her gaze forward. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Hmm?”

The woman frowned, but it seemed to be directed toward herself. “For looking out. You didn’t have to, but you did, so...thanks.”

“No problem,” Beth tried wavering her off, but the woman had reached out a hand at the same time. The two gestures met with a dull slap and they blinked. They froze. They each turned to stare directly at the seat in front of them as the bus started rolling forward again. A moment of silence drifted between them.

“Sorry, I just wanted to—”

“I know. It’s fine.”

“I’m Sarah, by the way.”

“Eliz— Beth.”

“Beth?” Sarah tried out the word, as if wanting to taste it on her tongue. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you.”

Silence lapsed again, but the two didn’t seem to mind. Beth’s gaze ducked down to her lap and she buried her nose in her scarf, smiling slightly. Sarah turned toward the window, a slight grin falling on her lips as she kept her earbuds in her pocket.

After being used to empty seats next to them, this was nice. This was simple. It was a bit tight, and their shoulders seemed to constantly brush against each other, but maybe that was what made it nice.


End file.
